CAREER ADVISORS

David Zinc, a high priced corporate attorney in a prestigious law firm, is tired of working 80+ hours a week "doing something with bonds." He has had enough. One day on his way to work he panics and ends up in a bar. Drunk and determined not to go back to his old firm, he stumbles into the office of Finley & Figg, a couple of ambulance chasers. Before Zinc knows it, he is caught up in a class action suit worth millions against a large pharmaceutical company. New to litigation law, Zinc unexpectedly finds himself in a courtroom about to lose everything, including his reputation. The Litigators, by John Grisham, is not only entertaining, but it also provides good insight into the life of a litigation attorney and courtroom shenanigans.

Just visited the Steinbeck Museum in Salinas, CA, and picked up a copy of Travels with Charlie. This delightful book chronicles John Steinbeck's 1960's road trip across country with his French poodle, Charlie. His observations and reflections are eloquent -- not too wordy or rambling -- and Charlie's antics are endearing. It made me want to buy a dog, hop in an RV and point myself east.

Superheros have become all the rage, but author and humorist Bill Bryson was far and away ahead of his time. Back in the 50s he assumed a fantasy life as the Thunderbolt Kid in which he was able to transcend normality. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is a memoir about being a kid in the mid-west in the 1950s. It is a great nostalgia trip for anyone alive during that era and a wonderful history lesson for those who came later. Remember, dime stores, mimeograph machines, panty raids and Studebakers?  Ah, those were the days.

Roger Brown is the king of corporate headhunters.  Clients take his job candidate recommendations 100% of the time. However, when he refuses to recommend Clas Greve, the perfect job candidate for his client, Pathfinder, all hell breaks loose. In Headhunter, Jo Nesbo has written a thriller that starts out funny and turns very violent. It is implausible at best, but still captivating. You'll be hooked to the bitter end.

Living off the land is the theme here and two good books capture the spirit of eating local and homegrown foods.  A Year of Plenty by Craig Goodwin chronicles this Spokane family's commitment to locavoredom for one year.  With a Christian bent, it explores faith, environment and everyday life. (Recommended by Craig Riggs)

Better known is Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. In a similar experiment the author moves her family from Arizona to Virginia where the family owns a farm. For a year they buy local, eat local and grow/raise their own food. Both books are interspersed with humor and recipes. It would be interesting to compare the diet of locavores in Washington and Virginia.

Something Missing, by Matthew Dicks, is one of my favorite books of 2011. It is about the occupational hazards of being a benevolent Cat Burglar. Martin Railsback is a career criminal with OCD tendencies who has been stealing from the same families for years, without detection. As time goes by, he not only steals from them, but gets to know a great deal about them and becomes their protector of sorts. It is an original and laugh-out-loud read that is bound to make you look at a life of crime in a new light.

In Ordinary Thunderstorms, by William Boyd, Adam Kindred is young climatologist in London for a job interview as a research fellow at Imperial College. However, instead of starting a new job in academia, he begins a new life on the lam after he is placed at the scene of a murder. Although you won't learn a whole lot about the life of a climatologist, this book will expand your meteorological vocabulary and teach you a great deal about how to change your identity and disappear into a busy city. It is an entertaining novel with an ending that suggests a sequel.

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much, by Allison Hoover Bartlett, is a true story about a book thief and his obsession with rare books, but it also offers great insight into the world of book dealers and the rare book market. Although this is creative non-fiction, John Gilkey, the book thief, is a cocky and quirky character who proves truth can be stranger than fiction. You will laugh at his antics and root for the book dealers who are determined to out-wit him.

Dr. Marie Heaton is a well-respected anesthesiologist at a top-notch hospital in Seattle. Her work is her life until the death of a child on the operating table also signals the end of her career as she becomes embroiled in a malpractice suit. Oxygen, written by Carol Wiley Cassella, not only takes an exciting twist at the end but also gives great insight into a typical (and not so typical) day of the professionals who work in this very exacting medical field.

Vogel, a Minnesota-based pharmaceutical company, has been doing cutting edge research in the Amazon. When her research partner dies of fever while checking up on the project, pharmacologist Dr. Maria Singh volunteers to find out what happened to her partner and the status of this research. Not only does Marie discover an entire research team at work on an amazing new drug in the middle of the jungle, she encounters conditions that are the antithesis of the safe and sterile environment she is use to... including deadly snakes, insects and cannibals. If you have been wondering what field research is like, State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett will open your eyes and keep your fingers turning the page.

Every time I pick up a book by Douglas Kennedy, I can't put it down until I've come to the end. The Big Picture is no exception. Ben Bradford compromises his dream of becoming a professional photographer to take a high paying job on Wall Street and a house in the suburbs. A crime of passion changes Ben's life and career forever.  This is a great story about the rise and fall of a photographer in a highly competitive field.  Written over ten years ago, the technology may have changed, but the struggles have not.

Angel Robinson is the assistant to a famous, but tyranical literary agent, in Blind Submission, by Debra Ginsberg. In addition to kowtowing to her boss's unreasonable demands she must deal with quirky authors, a jealous boyfriend and an anonymous author who knows way more than he/she should about her private life. It's part mystery, part romance and a totally enjoyable read.

In The Art of Racing in the Rain, Garth Stein observes the joys and heartbreaks of living life...through the eyes of his dog, Enzo...and we learn a lot about competitive race car driving in the process.  This is one of those books you don't want to end and is well loved by men and women alike. 

In Thank You for Smoking, by Christopher Buckley, bad things happen to Nick Naylor, a publicist who is trying to put a good spin on the tobacco indusry.  Political correctness gone awry in this very funny satire.

When David Lingle came to my office to discuss a career change, he also brought along a brilliant idea.  He suggested we ask other successful career changers over the age of 40 how they did it.  For the next two years we interviewed over 50 individuals (over the age of 40) who had successful careers and decided to start over.  Their stories ranged from heartbreaking to inspiring to laugh aloud funny...and much too interesting to keep to ourselves, so we published Changing Careers After 40: Real Stories, New Callings.

Each chapter chronicles the lives of a successful career changer. (See Career Resources for more details.) At the end of each chapter we've included end-notes based on the theme we chose for the story.  They offer a how-to approach, as well as a list of related resource to aid you in your research.

We want to hear your comments...what helped, what didn't, what might you try in the future?

We also want to hear your stories of career change...who knows...there could be another edition in the works...and it could be about you.

Tom Rachman describes what it is like to work for an English-language newspaper in Rome in his book The Imperfectionists.  Each chapter portrays the life of a newspaper staff member including an editor, stringer, obituary writer and publisher.  In between each chapter is a back story on the rise and fall of this glorious publication starting with the founding father, Cyrus Ott and ending with his grandson, Oliver.

Dr. Nick Trout chronicles a day in his life as an animal surgeon, in this memoir, "Tell Me Where It Hurts."  The comedy and drama of healing animals are compelling as are the stories of the quirky owners.  If you are considering a career working with animals, this is a must read. The picture on the cover is worth the price of the book alone.

Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand, is as much about jockeys as it is about the famous horse.  I thought models were the only professionals that had to worry about every calorie they put into their mouths...but not so.  You'd have to really love horses to commit to this demanding occupation.

Running dogs in the Alaskan wilderness may sound glamourous, but Gary Paulson describes what it is really like as he trains for the Iditarod, the eleven hundred and eighty mile dog-sled race.  Winterdance, this engrossing work of creative non-fiction had me laughing outloud one minute and biting my nails the next.

As a librarian wannabe, one of my favorite works of fiction is called, "The Dewey Decimal System of Love," by Josephine Carr. Alison Sheffield is your stereotypical librarian by day, but beyond the stacks her life is filled with mystery and comedy.  This is a fun read that will give you a good idea of what a day in the life of a librarian is like..and also the nights.